Category: Envy

He Who Envies Is Not Found Guiltless

~ Richard Rowley

Alma identifies envy as an attribute that undermines one’s preparedness to meet God.

“…Is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such as one is not found guiltless.” (Alma 5:29)

Questions:

-What is envy? (Click the “envy” link above for a definition)

-Why does being an envious person assign guilt in God’s eyes?

-In what sense is the hour of judgment close at hand for every living soul? Does anyone know exactly when this or her life will end?

Thou Shalt Not Covet

~ Richard Rowley

The Book of Mormon record reemphasizes the importance of the Ten Commandments given by God to the Israelite people. The Nephite prophets who taught their people and recorded scripture drew on a record called the Brass Plates (which were brought from Jerusalem) that contained most of writings of the prophets found in the Old Testament up to 600 B.C., including the book of Exodus containing the Ten Commandments.

The tenth of the Ten Commandments warns against the sin of always wanting more than one has (and envying those who seem to have more).

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s. (Mosiah 13:24 – Compare Exodus 20:17)

Questions:

-Is runaway materialism more or less inevitable when this commandment is not kept?

-What does the Ten Commandments being repeated in the Book of Mormon say about God’s view of their importance (and their timeless application for His children as a baseline for righteous living)?